Shoemaking method



Feb. 24, 1942. F. AsHwoRTH ETAL 4,

SHOEMAKING METHOD 7 Filed July 24, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 llllh Wvmvmmq Feb. 24, 1942. A-SHWORTH ET AL 2,274,576

SHOEM'AKING METHOD Filed July 24, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 W 7 J-J' Feb. 24, 1942. F. ASHWORTH' IZT'AL SHOEMAKING METHOD Filed J1'11 '24, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 mKw WwN Feb. 24, 1942. F. AS'HWORTH ET AL SHOEMAKING METHOD 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed July 24, 1940 I I 1% L98 300 202 A91 complemental heel part form supported in a Patented Feb. 24, 1942 omreo STATES: PATENT e SHOEMAKING METHOD Fred Ashworth, Wenham, and Paul W. Senfleben,

Maiden, Mass, assignors to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Borough of Flemington,

N. J a corporation of New Jersey Application July 24, 1940, Serial No. 347,170

12 Claims. 01. 12-442) This invention relates to shoemaking methods and is herein illustrated and described in connection with a moccasin and, more particularly, with relation to the stretching of a moccasin bottom over a forepart shaping form, although it should be understood that the invention is applicable'to the manufacture of other types of shoes. The term moccasin bottom as used herein is in tended to designate that portion of the moccasin which covers the bottom of the foot and extends upwardly to form the side walls of the moccasin.

In United States Letters Patent No. 2,234,543 granted March 11, 1941, on an applicationfiled and its mounting, the left-hand half of the heel part being removed;

Fig. 7' is a plan view of the means for operating the forepart clamp; anda Fig. 8 is a section of the heel part mounting along the line VIII-VIII of Fig. 6.

In its broader aspects, our method involves the use of a forepart shaping form which may be attached to any one of a number of complemental in the names of Fred Ashworth and Corwin W.

Baker, there is disclosed a method of manufacinvention contemplates a method of shoemaking in which a forepart shaping form is provided and is attached to successive complemental heel part forms. A shoe ismountedon the forepart form and various shoemaking operations are performed on the shoe while it and the forepart shaping 7 form are mounted on the various ,complemental heel part forms. In a. slightly difierent aspect,- as applied to moccasins, this method comprises locating a moccasin bottom on a forepart shaping form, and then attaching the forepart form, J withthe moccasin bottom mounted thereon, to a lasting machine. i Y

The invention will be better understood when considered with relation to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a jack on which the forepart form may be mounted;

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation, partly in section, of the shaping form and the heelpart form of the jack of Fig. 1;

i heel parts thereby to form a complete last. These heel parts are-.permanently mounted in various pieces of shoemaking aparatus and constitute a portion of the work supports thereof. In practicing the invention, the forepart form is attached to a heel part in one of the machines and one or more of the various steps in the manufacture of v the shoe are performed on a shoe on the form.

The forepart form and the shoe are then detached from the heel part and removed from the machine. This method of procedure is repeated inserted in a lasting machine.

for the subsequent shoemaking operations, the form and the shoe being attached to successive complemental heel parts in the various machines.

Asiapplied to moccasin manufacture our improved method consists in assembling and completely finishing the heel end of a moccasin bottom and with the moccasin bottom in this condition postioning it on a forepart shaping form. This operation is carried out while the forepart form is mounted on a jack having a pivoted heel part to which the forepart form may be secured to form a complete last. After the moccasin bottom has been properly positioned on the form by means of registration marks his secured to i the forepart by some temporary fastenin means such as tacks. The forepart form and the moccasin bottom are then removed from the jack and The lasting machine is provided with a heel part similar to that All embodied in the jack and the forepart form is Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a lasting machine attached to it with the heel part of the moccasin bottom fitting over the heel part form. .The moccasin bottom is then ready to be lasted over the forepart form and this is done preferably by means of a lasting cable which is drawn rearwardly to cause the moccasin to be tensioned' heightwise of the form.

The earlier steps of our improved method above referred to are practised with the assistance of w i-t jackillustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. This jack comprises a heel part form H] which is hollow and'is made in two parts which are secured together by screws 12 extending transversely of the heel part form. As has been indicated, this heel part form is arranged to receive a complemental forepart form l4. To this end a hinged member I6 is pivoted on a pin l8 extending transversely of the heel part. This hinged member is provided with a dovetail slot 28 formed in its forward face and arranged to receive a corresponding tongue 22 on the rear end of the forepart form. A pin 24 in the slot 28 limits the downward movement of the forepart form when it is ened position illustrated in Fig. 2 by a spring 34 connecting the knee 38 of the toggle and a lug 38 in the top wall of the heel part. Movement of the toggle out of its straight position to collapse the last is effected through a plunger 40 connected to the knee 38 of the toggle and extending downwardly through a slot 42 in the bottom wall of the heel part. The plunger 48 is provided with a head 44 which may be engaged by a projection 46 on a treadle rod 48 mounted for sliding movement in brackets 50 carried by a base 52. Thus, depression of a spring-supported treadle (not shown) connected to the treadle rod 48 breaks the toggle and causes the member IE to be swung rearwardly, thereby-collapsing the last and permitting the moccasin and forepart form l4 to be removed from it.

In order to prevent heightwise movement of the forepart form relative to the heel part when the last is in extended position, the link 28 of the toggle is bored to receive a spring-pressed latch pin 54. The forward end of this latch pin is so positioned with relation to the pivot point of the link 28 that it extends through an aperture 55 in the member I6 and engages a notch 56 in the tongue 22 of the forepart form when the toggle is in straightened position, thus holding the forepart form securely locked to the heel part. When the treadle is depressed to break the toggle, however, the latch 54 is swung rearwardly about the pivotal point in the ear 26, moving it out of engagement with the notch 56 into a retracted position permitting the forepart form to be removed from the heel part. There is thus provided what is essentially a two-part separable last in which the two partsmay be easily and quickly assembled and disassembled, the heel part of the last being part of the assembly jack and forming the work support thereof.

To assist in holding the moccasin bottom. B on the assembled forepart and heel part form a spur 58 is provided. This spur is threaded into a split lug 88 integral with the link 38 of the toggle and is arranged to extend rearwardly through a slot 62 in the wall of the heel part. A screw 54 is also threaded through the split lug 88 so that the spur may be clamped in adjusted position by tightening the screw. From the position of the spur 58 it will be noted that breaking of the toggle will cause the spur to move inwardly to- Ward the interior of the heel part and out of shoe retaining position. When the spring-supported treadle is released, however, and the toggle is straightened by the spring 34, the spur is moved rearwardly sufficiently far so that it extends out through the slot 62 to engagethe moccasin bottom 13 to hold it in position on the heel part form.

It is desirable that the heel part form I should be free to rotate upon its support. To this end a washer 66 and a ring 68 are secured to the under side of the heel part by screws I0 which extend through the ring and the washer and into the wall of the heel part on each side of the slot 42. The ring and the washer provide a passage through which the plunger 40 may extend and the ring 68 is provided about its periphery with a groove 14 into which the shank of a retaining bolt 16 extends, the bolt being threaded into a plate l8 in which the ring 88 is carried. Thus, the ring 68 is free to rotate in the plate 18, but the bolt 16 prevents it from moving heightwise of the heel part. The plate 18 is pivoted at 80 in the base 52 so that it and the heel part formmay be tipped rearwardly from workreceiving to working position. A shelf 82 integral with the base is provided to support the plate when the heel part is in the work-receiving position shown in Fig. 2. Stops 84 are also provided to limit the movement of the plate away from work-receiving position and toward working position, these stops being engaged by arms 86 integral with the plate. A catch 88 fastened to the treadle rod 48 by a set screw 90 is provided to hold the plate in operative position with the arms 85 against the stops 84, this catch being movable with the treadle rod so that depression of the latter will move the catch downwardly to enable the plate to return to work-receiving position.

The base member 52 is provided with two lateral extensions which form rests 92 on which the sides of a forepart form attached to the heel part maybe rested when the mounting operation is being performed. These extensions are preferably provided with covers 94 of leather or some similar material secured to the base by screws 96 to prevent marring of the moccasin bottom when it is laid on the rest.

In operating the jack the heel part form is moved to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1. The treadle is then depressed to move the hinged member Hi to collapsed position and the tongue of the forepart form is inserted in the dovetail slot 20. Upon release of the treadle the spring 34 straightens the toggle and moves the assembled heel part and forepart form to extended position, thus locking them together by means of the latch pin 54 and moving the spur 58 outwardly through the slot 62. The heel part and forepart may then be swung rearwardly, pivoting the plate 18 about its pin in the boss 88 to move the form into working position. As the heel part approaches working position, the arms 86 strike the beveled upper surfaces 98 of the latch member 88, forcing it downwardly a sufiicient distance so the arms may pass by it and come to rest against the stops 84 with the latch member 88 holding them in this position. The fore- I part form may then be swung to either side and rested on one of the blocks 92 for purposes later to be described.

When it is desired to remove the moccasin and forepart form the treadle is depressed, thus lowering the latch member 88 and permitting the plate 18 to be swung forwardly into work-receiv ing position against the shelf 82. The treadle is then released so that when the plate 18 comes to rest against the shelf 82 the projection 46 of the treadle rod 48 will be above the head 44 of the plunger. A second depression of the treadle then breaks the toggle, releasing the latch member 54, drawing the shoe-retaining spur inwardly out of shoe-engaging position, and moving the hinged member l6 rearwardly into collapsed position. The forepart form and the moccasin bottom may then be removed simply by sliding the tongue 22 out of the dovetail slot 20.

The lasting machine, which is preferably employed to assist in practicing the method above referred to, is similar in several respects to that disclosed in Letters Patent of the United States No. 2,193,796, granted March 19, 1940, on the application of Fred Ashworth, to which reference may be had for a fuller understanding of those parts of the machine not described herein. As illustrated in Fig. 3, the machine comprises a standard I upon which is mounted a head frame I02. The head frame is provided with ways I94 in which a carriage I06 is mounted for sliding movement imparted to it by a doublethreaded screw use journaled in the head frame and rotated by means of a hand wheel H9.

The work support comprises a heel part form II2 mounted on an arm H4 integral with the carriage I86, the upper end portion of the arm being bored to receive the shank N5 of a forked member I I6 releasably held in the bore by means of a detent pin IE8, the end of which enters a closed slot I in the shank of the forked member. A spring I22 interposed between the forked end of the member III} and the arm II4 holds the former in its forward position but permits it to yield slightly rearwardly. An arm I24 extending upwardly from the top of the heel part form is pivotally connected to the forked member lit by a pin I2", about which the heel part form may be swung upwardly from its working position shown in Fig. 3 to the inoperativeposition shown in Fig. 6. A spring-pressed pin I28, the head I31! of which contacts a bearing member I32 carried by the arm I24, holds th heel part in either working or inoperative position.

The structure for securing the forepart form to the heel part is quite similar to that illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. Pivotally secured to the forward face of the heel part is a hinged member I34 (Fig. 6) which has formed in it a dovetailed recess I365 similar to that illustrated in Fig. l, and into this recess the corresponding tongue 22 on the forepart form may be inserted. Collapsing and extending of the assembled form through the movement of the hinged member I34 is effected during the swinging of the heel part from working to work-receiving position or vice versa. To this end, the upper end of the member I35 is provided with an ear I38 and to this ear one link Mil of a toggle is pivotally connected. The other link I42 of the toggle is pivoted on a pin Md carried by the rear wall of the heel part form. A linkIdG connects the knee of the toggle and the forked member. It will be noted that the distance between the pin I26 and the knee of the toggle, when the heel part is in the position of Fig. 3, is greater than the distance between the knee and the point at which the link I45 is connected to the forked member. Therefore swinging of the heel part. downwardly into the operative position shown in Fig. 3 straightens the toggle and swings the hinged member forwardly so that the forepart form is in extended relation to the heel part. Movement of the heel part and the forepart form out of working position, however, breaks the toggle and swings the hinged member I3 5 rearwardly so that the forepart form and the moccasin bottom may readily be removed from the heel part.

It is desirable that when in extended position the forepart should be securely locked to the heel part. To this end, the link I40 of the toggle is provided with a spring-pressed pin I48, the end of which is arranged to extend through an aperture in the hinged member I34 and to engage the slot 56 in the tongue 22 of the form, thus holding it securely in position. Breaking of the toggle by movement of th heel part II2 upwardly, however, retracts the pin Hi8 thus releasing the forepart form.

To hold the heel end of the moccasin in proper position on the heel part I I2, the link I42 is provided with a lug I58 through which extends a screw I52, the tip of which is pointed to form a spur I54. A second screw I56 extending through the lug provides means for clamping the spur screw I52 in adjusted position. The lug is so positioned on the link I42 that straightening of the toggle moves the spur outwardly through an aperture I58 in the back wall of the heel part H2 and into shoe-retaining position. Breaking of the toggle, however, swings the spur inwardly to a position out of engagement with the shoe.

To provide additional support for the forepart form when the assembled form is swung downwardly into working position, a plate I60 (Fig. 3) is secured by screws to the carriage I96. This plate extends forwardly above the ways I84 and has secured to it approximately at the center a wedge member I62. This wedge member is so positioned that it engages the bottom face of the forepart form and holds it up slightly from the remainder of the plate for a purpose hereinafter v to be explained.

As has been already indicated, the lasting is performed by means of a cable I65, the ends of which are secured to arms IE6 by means of bolts I68. These arms are pivoted for movement transversely with respect to the carriage on screws. I'Ifl which extend into a yoke I12 journaled, on a shaft I I6. Additional support for the arms I66 is provided by upwardly extending arms Ht integral with the yoke. These arms I'Iii are provided with machined surfaces I78 against which the upper. ends of the arms I66 rest. Rearward movement of the cable to last the moccasin is effected through the arms I16 against which bear cams ass mounted on each side of the head frame M2 on a shaft I82 to which a ratchet and pawl mechanism (not shown) operated by a handle I34 is secured, as shown in the above-referred-to Patent No. 2,193,796. A brake member Iilfi bearing against a brake drum IE3 holds the cam I823 in the position to which it is moved by the handle I843.

As the size of the moccasin being operated upon decreases, it becomes necessary to move the carriage 10E forward so that the lasting cable its may be tensioned sufficiently by the cam I530 to stretch the moccasin bottom heightwise over the form. As the size of the moccasin being operated upon decreases, its width will also decrease proportionately. Since it is desirable that the direction of strain on the cable through the arms I66 should be approximately tangent to the curvature of the sides of the form at its Widest point, the arms I66 must be moved inwardly as the carriage IE6 is moved forward to accommodate a smaller size moccasin. Tothis end, a spring I99 (Fig. 5) is hooked into lugs I92 on the arms I66, this spring tending to draw the arms inwardly toward one another and to hold them against abutments I94 on the ends of screws I96. These screws extend through bearings I98 on the head frame I02 and are threaded into the ends of a sleeve 200. This sleeve is also provided at its center with a skew gear 202 which meshes with a second skew gear 204 carried on the screw I08. The two ends of the sleeve I98 are threaded in opposite directions so that rotation of the screw I08 will cause them to move inwardly or outwardly in accordance with the direction of rotation of the screw. By this arrangement, forward movement of the carriage I06 will cause the abutments I94 to be drawn inwardly by the sleeve, thus allowing the spring to move the arms closer to one another, while rearward movement will separate them.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that the rotation of the cam I80 by the handle I84 will cause the cable I84 to be drawn rearwardly. Since the toe end of the forepart form is sloped inwardly toward its upper surface,

the tension thereby created will cause the cable to move upwardly, thus stretching the moccasin bottom over the form. In carrying out this step, it has been found desirable that the cable should have a rolling as well as a gripping action. To this end, the cable sleeve 206 illustrated in Fig. 4 is provided. This sleeve is composed of spirally wound wire which is preferably resilient so that the sleeve is essentially a spring. Thus, if the coils are separated slightly during the lasting operation, they will return to their original position with the coils in contact with each other upon release of the strain on the cable. The internal diameter of the sleeve 205 is slightly greater than the external diameter of the cable, so that the sleeve is free to turn about the cable. Thus, when the cable is tensioned to last the moccasin, a combined rolling and stretching action will be obtained. The sleeve will roll over the surface of the leather, turning about the cable, but the friction between the sleeve and the cable, when the cable is under tension, is sufficient so that the sleeve will also slide over the surface of the leather. In other words, the sleeve will not rotate about the cable as rapidly as it would if there were no friction between the sleeve and the cable. The friction brakes the rolling action somewhat, so that the leather will to a certain extent be gripped between the sleeve and the form, in much the same manner that an ordinary lasting wiper grips the leather between itself and the last.

After the cable and sleeve have moved about one-third to one-half way up over the surface of the form, the friction between the sleeve and the cable becomes so great that the rolling stops. When this occurs, the spirals of the sleeve bite into the leather and with a combined gripping and wiping action stretch the leather upwardly over the form until the cable has reached the position shown in Fig. 3.

After the moccasin bottom has been properly tensioned over the form by the cable, a forepart clamp 201, such as that illustrated in a copending application, Serial No. 327,930, filed April 4. 1940, in the names of Ashworth and Baker. is slipped over the toe end of the form to hold the moccasin bottom in position during subsequent operations. In order to force the clamp into firm engagement with the moccasin bottom, a pusher member 208 (Figs. 3 and 7) and a wedge-shaped lifting member 2| are provided. These two members are mounted on a shaft 2I2 journaled for rotary movement in a carriage 2I4 slidable lengthwise of the head frame I02 on rods 2I6. The lifter 2I0 is carried by a rod 2I8 slidable in a block 220 on the shaft 2I2 and is yieldably urged away from the block by a spring 222. When a treadle (not shown) is depressed, a chain 224 connected to the carriage is drawn downwardly, moving the carriage 2I4 toward the forepart clamp 201 against the force of springs 238 (Fig. 7). The lifter wedge 2 I 0 first slides in underneath the forepart clamp, its entry into the space between the forepart clamp and the plate I60 being facilitated because of the wedge I62 which raises the forepart form up off the plate I slightly. As the lifter wedge 2I0 moves forward, its inclined face forces the forepart clamp upwardly until the bottom-engaging portions of the latter strike the bottom of the forepart form, upward movement of the latter being prevented by a holddown 226 which clamps the form against the wedge I62 on the plate I60. Continued movement of the carriage 2I4 toward the toe end of the form causes the spring 222, by which the lifter member is yieldably urged toward the heel end of the form, to compress until the pusher member 208 is brought into engagement with the forepart clamp to force it tightly against the form.

In order to facilitate application of the forepart clamp after the lasting has been completed, it is desirable that the pusher and lifter members should be swung to one side when they are in their retracted position, as illustrated in Fig. 7. To this end, one end of a coil spring 228 is secured to a screw 230 on the carriage, the other end being fastened to the shaft 2I2 by a second screw 232. This spring is so arranged that it urges the pusher and lifter members into their operating position, that is, into alinement with the longitudinal center line of the forepart form, in which position they may be moved toward the form to bring the forepart clamp into clamping position. A chain 234 is also secured to a pin 236 on the shaft 2I2, its other end being secured to the head frame I82. The chain is sufficiently short and the springs 238 which return the carriage 2I4 to its retracted position are sufficiently strong so that when the treadle is released the pusher and lifter members 208 and 2I0 will be retracted by the springs 238, whereupon the chain 234 causes the pusher and lifter members to be swung into the position shown in Fig. 7 against the action of the spring 228. With these members in this position, the insertion of the clamp into the space between the forepart form I4 and the plate I60 is a simple matter, and, similarly, the removal of the assembled forepart form, the moccasin bottom, and the clamp after completion of the clamping operation is made easy.

In manufacturing moccasins according to my improved method with the aid of the abovedescribed apparatus, a moccasin bottom B of the proper shape is first out out of a sheet of leather and the heel end thereof is then formed and completely finished, as disclosed in the above-referred-to application Serial No. 240,546, of Ashworth and Baker. Its heel end having been completed, the moccasin is now ready to be mounted on the forepart shaping form I4. To this end, the tongue 22 of the forepart form is inserted in the slot 20 of the heel part III which forms a portion of the jack illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. It may be noted that it is not necessary to depress the treadle connected to the treadle rod 48 to swing the hinge member I6 rearwardly and move the latch pin 54 out of the way of the tongue 22, inasmuch as the end of the tongue will strike the beveled upper side of the latch pin 54 and will force the latter rearwardly against its spring and thus permit the tongue to pass by it far enough so that it will strike the stop pin 24 and so that the latch pin will engage the slot 56. With the assembled form in the position illustrated in Fig. 2, the moccasin bottom B is slipped over the form with its heelend tight against the heel part form I0, and with the back stay S of the moccasin bottom on the center line of the heel part. The spur 58 will retain the moccasin bottom in this position and prevent its slipping at the heel end. The'form on its supporting plate 78 is then tipped rearwardly to the position indicated in broken lines in Fig. 1, and one side of the forepart form is laid on one of g the rests 92.

The moccasin bottom is now ready to be positioned on the forepart form and temporarily secured thereto' The locating operation is preferably accomplished by bringing some predetermined point on the moccasin bottom into registration with a predetermined point on the forepart form. As illustrated in Fig. 2,these points may advantageously be an ear E made integral with a collar C on the moccasin bottom and a mark 240 on the side of the forepart form. When these points have been brought into proper registration, and this may involve some slight stretching of the moccasin bottom lengthwise in order not to disturb the relation of the back stay 8 to the center line of the heel part, a tack 242 is driven through the collar into a plug 244 in the side of the forepart form. The form is then swung about its pivot formed by the ring 63 so that the opposite side of the forepart form rests against the other side rest 92 carried by the base 52. It may be found desirable at this point to tension the moccasin bottom slightly laterally to remove any bad wrinkles and to bring it down close against the form along the shank. When this has been done the locating and tacking operation is repeated so that the moccasin bottom is now secured to the forepart form at both sides thereof. Here, also, it may be found necessary to stretch the moccasin collar slightly in order to bring the marks on the moccasin bottom and on the forepart form into proper registration. After the tacking, the forepart form and the moccasin bottom are ready to be detached from the heel part In which forms a part of the jack. To this end, the operator depresses the treadle rod 48 to move the latch member 88 downwardly and permit the heel part form to be swung back to, its initial position. Upon a second depression of the treadle, the last is collapsed, moving the shoe-retaining spur 58 out of engagement with the moccasin bottom, leaving the latter together with the forepart form free to. be removed from the jack for the lasting operations.

Alternatively, the locating of the moccasin bottom on the forepart form and the temporary fastening of it thereto may be performed without the assistance of the heel part form It and the jack. In such a case, one side of the moccasin bottom is brought into registration with the marks 240 on the forepart form and then tacked. After laterally tensioning the moccasin bottom slightly, the collar C and the ear E at the opposite side of the moccasion bottom are brought into registration with the marks 240. Any stretching of the collar lengthwise of the moccasin which may be found necessary will be effected subsequently by the insertion of the formin the lasting machine in'the manner which will now be described.

In performing the lasting operation, the forepart of the moccasin is preferably first steamed or otherwise tempered to render it soft and pliable, and more amenable to the stretching operations. The heelpart form H2 of the lasting machine is then swung upwardly into the position illustrated in Fig. 6. In this position, the tongue 22 of the forepart form may readily be slipped into the slot of the hinge member I34 and the heel end of the moccasin slipped over the heel part form. When the form is swung downwardly into operative position, the toggle is straightened thus moving the assembled form into extended position and swinging the retaining pin 54 outwardly into shoe-engaging position.

The actual lasting operation is performed by moving the carriage Hi6 forwardly until the cable I64 engages the sides of the form close to the bottom, and thus simultaneously swinging the arms I66 carrying the cable inwardly so that the latter at its rearward ends is substantially tangent to the sides of the forepart form at its widest point. With the cable and the sleeve 206 resting against the moccasin bottom and holding it against the inwardly sloping sides of the forepart form, tension is applied on the cable to cause it to move upwardly over the form. As has already been pointed out, the tensioning of the cable initially effects a rolling action through the sleeve 206 and subsequently a combined gripping and wiping action which stretches the moccasin bottom heightwise of the form, thus removing any wrinkles about the toe end of the moccasin.

It may be noted here thatthe size of the finished moccasin is controlled through two factors:

' first, the height of the forepart clamp 201 which is employed subsequently as a trimming guide in the manner set forth in the application Serial No. 240,546 above referred to; and second, the volume of the forepart form. These two factors determine the amount of space that will be enclosed by the moccasin plug and the moccasin bottom, and insure that when a second last is inserted into the finished moccasin, it will fit properly. Since the heel end form is always the same size regardless of the size shoe being operated upon, it becomes necessary that the length of the forepart form of the larger sizes should increase a little more than would ordinarily be necessary, so that the relative smallness of the last at the heel end in the larger sized moccasins will be offset by the increased length. This same principle may be applied to avoid the necessity of maintaining on hand a supply of forepart forms graded to half sizes. By providing a hinge member for the heel part forms of the jack and of the lasting machine which is of greater thickness than that employed in the manufacture of shoes of whole sizes, the cubic content of the finished moccasin may be increased sufficiently so that a second last one-half size larger than that marked on the forepart form will fit into the finished moccasin. Thus, a forepart form size 7 employed with the extra thick hinge member will produce a moccasin into which a size 7 /2 second last will fit.

With this system, the provision of the separate forepart form which may be attached to successive heel parts results in a substantial saving for manufacturers both by reducing the amount of expense for lasts and by simplifying and making less arduous the handling of the moccasins While on the last. The method above described will result in a well-made moccasin manufactured with a minimum of expense and a maximum of speed and efiiciency.

The lasting machine has not been claimed herein as it forms the subject matter of a divisional application Serial No. 369,200, filed December 9, 1940. The apparatus illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 by which the moccasin is assembled on the forepart form is claimed in a divisional application Serial No. 377,702, filed February 6, 1941.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. That improvement in methods of making shoes which comprises attaching a forepart form to a heel part form in a shoe machine, performing an operation on a shoe on the assembled forms, disengaging said forepart form together with said shoe from said heel part form, attaching said forepart form to a heel part form in a second shoe machine, and performing a further operation on the shoe.

2. That improvement in methods of making shoes which comprises positioning and temporarily securing a shoe on a form having a detachable heel part supported on a jack, disengaging said shoe together with the forepart of said form from said heel part, attaching said forepart form and said shoe to a second heel part supported in a shoe machine, and performing a shoemaking operation on said shoe by means of said machine.

3. That improvement in methods of making shoes which comprises providing a plurality of shoe machines each having a work support comprising a form for the heel end of a shoe, mounting the forepart of. a shoe on a forepart form, said heel part form and said forepart form being constructed and arranged for interlocking engagement with one another, and performing operations on said shoe in the several machines while mounted on said forepart form.

4. That improvement in methods of making moccasins which comprises locating a moccasin bottom on a forepart shaping form, attaching said forepart form to a heel part form supported in a lasting machine, thereby to form a complete last, and tensioning said moccasin bottom over said last. I

5. That improvement in methods of making moccasins which comprises positioning and temporarily securing a moccasin bottom to the forepart of a supported last, detaching said forepart from the heel part of said last, mounting the forepart on a second heel part in a lasting machine, and lasting the moccasin.

6. That improvement in methods of making moccasins which comprises bringing predetermined points on a moccasin bottom into registry with predetermined points on a forepart shaping form, mounting said forepart form on a heel part form in a lasting machine, thereby to form a complete form supported in said machine, and tensioning said moccasin bottom heightwise of the form.

' 7. That improvement in methods of making moccasins which comprises positioning and temporarily securing a moccasin bottom on a forepart shaping form, attaching said forepart shaping form to a heel part form in a lasting machine, tensioning said moccasin bottom lengthwise of said form, and subsequently tensioning said moccasin bottom heightwise of said form.

8. That improvement in methods of making moccasins which comprises securing one side of a moccasin bottom to a forepart shaping form, tensioning said moccasin bottom laterally, securing the opposite side of the moccasin bottom to the forepart shaping form, mounting the forepart form on a heel part form supported in a lasting machine, and lasting the moccasin.

9. That improvement in methods of making moccasins which comprises locating and temporarily securing a moccasin bottom to a forepart shaping form while the heel end of the moccasin bottom is unsupported, attaching said forepart form to a heel part form supported in a lasting machine, and tensioning the moccasin bottom over said forepart shaping form.

10. That improvement in methods of making moccasins which comprises bringing predetermined points on a moccasin bottom into registry with predetermined points on a three-quarter last while the heel end of the moccasin bottom is unsupported, securing said last and said moccasin bottom to a heel part mounted in a lasting machine, and lasting the moccasin.

11. That improvement in methods of making moccasins which comprises locating a moccasin bottom on a forepart shaping form supported on a jack comprising a heel part form and means for supporting said heel part form, temporarily securing said moccasin bottom to said forepart form, removing the forepart form from the jack,

attaching said forepart form to a heel part form in a lasting machine, and lasting the moccasin.

12. That improvement in methods of making moccasins which comprises positioning and temporarily holding the back seam of a moccasin bottom relative to the heel end of a separable shaping form composed of a forepart form and a heel part form mounted on a support, temporarily fastening the sides of said moccasin bottom to the sides of said shaping form, removing said forepart form and said moccasin bottom as a unit from the heel part form, mounting the forepart form on a heel part form in a lasting machine, and lasting the moccasin.

FRED ASHWORTH.

PAUL W. SENFLEBEN. 

